Raiders Notes: Kyler Murray, Josh Jacobs, Antonio Brown

Kyler Murray

Raiders HC Jon Gruden confirmed the team loved QB Kyler Murray. However, Gruden said that doesn’t mean the Raiders considered drafting him. 

“We all loved Murray. That doesn’t mean we were gonna take him,” Gruden said via NBC’s Peter King. “How do you not love his performance, his playing style, what he accomplished? I had a blast with him [when the Raiders worked him out pre-draft in Dallas]. We didn’t think about going up to number one. We did look at [Nick] Bosa, [Quinnen] Williams, but not going to one.

Gruden said the Raiders’ work on the quarterback prospects wasn’t because the team was considering drafting one, but was just simple due diligence. 

“We did our homework on the quarterbacks. You gotta know who’s coming into the league at that position,” Gruden said. “There was a lot of speculation that we were gonna take a quarterback. I kept watching a guy on NFL Network saying we’re going up to get Murray. Then he says we’re going up to get Haskins. Then he says we’re going up to get [Drew] Lock. We’re trading Carr. I don’t understand it.” 

Josh Jacobs

Gruden also told King that RB Josh Jacobs was one of the Raiders’ favorite players in the entire draft and should be a big part of the offense this year. 

“He really got discovered late in the season when he got a chance to play. The way he played without the ball against Clemson is what really caught our eye,” Gruden said. “He can return kicks. We really wanted him. He’s exactly what I have been looking for. He’s got the ability to catch it. He can run it inside, outside. He’s not afraid to pick up the blitz. He loves to. There’s a lot of untapped football in there that no one’s seen yet. We felt he was one of the top players in the draft, honestly.”

Antonio Brown

Gruden said the Steelers’ initial offer in exchange for WR Antonio Brown was a second-round pick. 

“I get a call from [Pittsburgh VP and cap guy] Omar Khan. He’s like, ‘Hey what about a second-round pick for Antonio Brown?’” Gruden said. “Free agency’s about to start and I’m thinking, ‘Man, all these slot receivers are going for $10 million. Some of these players are going for $15 million. Why don’t we just give him the second? Get Antonio Brown!’ I call Mike and I said, ‘Why don’t we just give the Steelers the second and get this guy?’ Mike says, ‘That’s a little rich still. Let me talk to [Steelers GM] Kevin Colbert.’ Now he talks to Kevin Colbert and he says, ‘I think we can get him for a three and a five.’ I said, ‘Get the hell outta here!’”

Gruden said Brown’s relentless work ethic has already been on display. 

“I just love guys like that. He’s like … he just wants it. Reminds me of, you throw a dog the ball, he just goes and gets it,” Gruden said. “He keeps going, and going, and going, and going. He just won’t stop. Antonio’s energy is contagious.”